Weekly Mail November 22, 2015

Hello:


                    Since I decided to take up writing this again, I usually slate out Saturday afternoon to work on it. (Back in the day, it was always Sunday night). All week, I think about what I'm going to write about, or if I know what I'm going to write about, exactly what I'm going to say. A lot of times, I really have no idea till I see the finished product myself.

                   This week, I knew I was going to write about the Paris attacks and the Syrian refugee crisis. The problem is figuring out what I'm going to write.

                 I've read all the posts on Facebook, all the memes, as many of the articles as I could. I've tried to catch the news reports. And all I can say is, I almost envy anyone who has a rock solid opinion one way or the other on this, because quite frankly, I'm torn.

                   But before I get into that, there is one thing I know for certain. A number of people commented that at the same time the attacks in Paris were going down, there were also attacks in Beirut and Baghdad, and noooobody was talking about that.

                 And it's not that I don't care about the people in those cities, but I do feel worse for the people in Paris. And I don't see what's wrong with that.

                  It's human nature to sympathize more with people you are more familiar with is it not? Think about where those victims in Paris were when the attacks happened. At a concert, at a soccer match, and at dinner.

                 I've never been to Paris, but I imagine it has many similarities to New York City. (I've read that the Grand Concourse in the Bronx was based on the Champs Elysees') The attack on the soccer match could have very easily been Met Life Stadium, the concert attack could have been Radio City or Carnegie Hall, And the attacks on the cafes? I can't help but feel like that could have been me or any of us on a typical Friday night out.

                  Beirut? I know it's a resort city and all, but I feel like $h-t like that has been going on there for years. I was just a little older than Timmy the day our Marines were killed there by a terrorist. It doesn't make it less tragic, but I'm sorry, I relate to the people in Paris more. Not sure that makes me a bad guy, but it is what it is.

                   The real issue I'm having is about these refugees from Syria, and the political firestorm this is causing. After September 11th, I know exactly where I would stand on something like this, and it was keeping them out. Some years back, I wrote that we should close our borders completely till we straightened out the issue of illegal immigration. I got roundly chided for that, and you know what? Rightly so.

                    Now as I said, I've seen so many people who are either screaming "Keep them out!" or "Let them in" and the requisite insults and name calling going back and forth.

                   I know in my heart the overwhelming majority of these people are coming here to get away from their war torn country, looking for nothing more than a safe place to live. They want to raise their kids in a place where they don't have to worry about bombs dropping and gunfire. Somewhere they don't have to scrounge for food and the other basic necessities of life. These are people who need our help.

                   On the other hand, there are plenty of our own citizens who have to beg for food, who can't make ends meet.  Both Donald Trump and Bernie Sanders are trumpeting the plight of our homeless vets. Not to mention the fact that the State Department is admitting that it's pretty much impossible to fully vet all these people coming in. You think its beyond the realm of possibility that some ISIS members couldn't slip in that way?

                But does that mean we toss the baby out with the bathwater and keep the whole lot of them out? What happened to "Give Me Your Tired, Your Poor...?" That has to count for something too, doesn't it?

             And where do we put everybody? Everyone whose screaming "Let them in!" Do you want them in your neighborhood? In your house?

             I remember reading one time that one thing al-Qaeda always worried about was sending operatives to the US, and those would-be terrorists deciding that indoor plumbing, DirecTV and 24 hour drive thru was a better option than 72 virgins. Even if some of these refugees have bad intentions, doesn't mean once they start getting three hots a day, that they will follow through.

But if they do.......

           So now would be a really good time for our elected leaders to come together for a resolution instead of acting like us Facebook morons and blurting out the party lines. Liberals like Mayor DeBlasio are rolling out the red carpet as much to piss off the GOP as much as to be compassionate. And the Paul Ryan's of the world are clearly trying to appease their God and Guns constituents by passing a bill to limit the number of refugees. (Which of course President Obama is vowing to veto)

            Again, I wish I can sit here and tell you that I have a good answer for this problem, but I don't. All I can say is, if you think you have the answers, consider the other side of the coin.

If you say Keep them out, where is your heart. If you say let them all in, what will you say if something goes wrong?


NEWS ITEM: Charlie Sheen's HIV Positive

This week, Charlie Sheen came out and admitted that he has tested HIV Positive. Someone asked me, "Are you shocked about this?' And you know what, in a way, I was.

         Because even though I know HIV and AIDS have not been cured, you don't hear about it as much anymore. I remember very clearly that afternoon that Magic Johnson announced he was HIV positive, and I thought I was watching a dead man walking. 24 years later, he owns the LA Dodgers, and is showing no signs of slowing down. The treatment of the disease has made leaps and bounds.

         But Sheen's announcement was a not too subtle reminder that the disease still exists and it if you lead a lifestyle of un-relentless decadence, you run the risk of being infected.

         The thing I can't understand is, even before this announcement, why would any woman want anything to do with this guy? I understand back in the Wall Street/Platoon days, Charlie Sheen was a stud. Hell, even when Two and a Half Men started, he still was in decent shape. But when he went postal on "2 & 1/2 Men" producer Chuck Lorrie, he fell hard. He looked awful, he smoked like a chimney, he bragged about banging prostitutes, was smacking his ex wife around and yet he still was surrounded by hot women. How any woman would touch this guy with a 10 foot pole is beyond me!

            I don't wish the guy any ill will. But it's hard to feel sorry for the guy. There was a report this week that he spent $1.6 million on hookers (as opposed to $900,000 for child support.) There's a commercial on the radio for the New York Lottery featuring obnoxious people doing ridiculous things with their money (for example a diamond encrusted cellphone). The commercial ends with the line "You'd Make a Much Better Rich Person." Well, if I had $1.6 million lying around, I wouldn't be spending it on prostitutes. I'd be a much better rich person.

MUSIC: Saying goodbye to Adele's Hello?

         When President Bush the First sent Navy SEALS into Panama to arrest Manuel Noriega, the Panamanian dictator holed himself up in the Vatican's Diplomatic Mission in Panama City. In order to get him out, the SEALS blasted music outside the mission, hoping to drive him to surrender. One of the songs they played over and over again was These Boots are Made for Walkin' by Nancy Sinatra, which I have to admit would have had me coming out with my hands up after a few spins.
           Adele has the number one song in the country this week called Hello, and more than a few people have said that if they needed to be snuffed out of hiding, that would be the song that would do it. Radio stations like Z-100 and 92.3 tend to play the same songs over and over again, and Hello has been in heavy rotation.
            I actually like that song, I think Adele has a great voice, and I find the piano and percussion to be very strong. But Drake's Hotline Bling, and Major Lazer's Lean On are two songs I could do without. The radio near my office plays that crap all the time. I never thought I'd be the guy saying "When I was younger we had real music" but some of this stuff is just awful.
             The funny thing is, when I go to cardiac rehab it's the complete opposite. Since I'm the baby of the group, they usually put on oldies music. And I love a lot of the oldies, but a lot of it is pre British Invasion, so it doesn't really do anything for me. One night our exercise physiatrist put on an all 80's CD which drove my fellow rehabbers nuts. I of course was loving it, but hey, majority rules.


SPORTS:Rangers winning streak snapped.

           The Rangers had their 9 game losing streak snapped on Thursday, and normally that in and of itself would cause me no great harm. The problem was how they lost and who they lost to.
            They gave up a shorthanded goal with 1:06 left in the 3rd period, and they lost 2-1 to the Tampa Bay Lightning. The last time the Rangers lost to the Lightning, I ended up in the hospital.

Speaking of which; I posted this video on FB on Friday, but ICYMI: Here is a video of Dr. Jason Freeman, the genius who fixed me up. If I'm thankful for anything on Thursday, it's Dr. Freeman.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5wa6dbYZDZ0&sns=fb



Happy Thanksgiving
Have a Great Week

Weekly Mail November 15, 2015

Hello:

I was looking forward this week to writing some fun stuff, because it actually wasn't a bad week and I had some enjoyable moments. But sadly, we have to start off with what happened in Paris on Friday night.

NEWS ITEM: ISIS ATTACKS PARIS:

            George W. Bush will never be remembered for his eloquence in speaking, but something he said struck me as I was watching coverage of the terrorist attacks in Paris by that scum of the earth terrorist group ISIS, that thus far has claimed almost 130 lives.
              Bush used to always say "We have to be right every time. They only have to be right once." He was referring to al-Qaeda, but the logic still applies. Earlier in the week, it was reported that a drone airstrike had taken out Jihad John, a senior ISIS leader responsible for several beheadings. President Obama, in an interview with George Stephanopolis on Thursday suggested that ISIS was in retreat.

"What is true is that from the start, our goal has been first to contain and we have contained them,' 'They have not gained ground in Iraq, and in Syria they’ll come in, they’ll leave, but you don’t see this systemic march by ISIL across the terrain.'"


       Of course, he was severely criticized by the usual suspects,(Donald Trump etc.) but the fact of the matter is, he was right. Knock on wood, we haven't been attacked on our soil by ISIS, and until Friday, their attacks were sporadic and seemingly uncoordinated as of late. He didn't say that we had defeated them, he just said it seemed like we were winning, and well, we were. 

        But it only took one coordinated attack to shatter the notion that the world had ISIS on the ropes. What happened Friday night, was a reminder that this is most definitely a war, and one that needs to be fought with diligence, with every possible tool at our disposal in play. Thankfully, its a war that we don't have to fight alone, and if everybody realizes what's at stake and that working together will be the best way to defeat these pigs once and for all, it will make it all the more satisfying. 

       12 years ago, when we were gearing up to go to war in Iraq, I was all for going in alone, and I was amongst those slamming France and Germany for not standing with us. I just felt that France for years had taken shots at us, undermining the US at every chance. I'm still not sure I'm as wrong as people told me I was. But I do have to admit, they stood with us after 9/11, and now we have the chance to do the same thing. The slaughter of innocent, good people is something that needs to be dealt with. So far, we've been pretty good at it. But now, we need to step it up.

We learned that the hard way on Friday. 


 ******************************************************************************


             I know that I promised a third part to my summer story, and also to write a heartfelt note to all who wrote me after I first wrote about it. I hope to do the former soon, and will definitely do the latter before Thanksgiving, but today I want to tell you guys about one really good thing that has come out of what happened, and that is the cardiac rehabilitation program the hospital got me into. 

             Cardiac rehab is, as the name implies, a program designed to get your heart back in shape after a heart trauma. It mostly consists of exercises, but there are also classes on dealing with stress, high blood pressure, healthy eating etc. You also get one meeting with a nutritionist and if you need it, some counselling. 

             But to me. the best thing about cardiac rehab, is that you meet people who are in the same boat as you are and it becomes a de-facto support group. Because of privacy laws I can't get into too many details about the guys (and ladies) I work out with....but one gentleman came up to me after the second session I went to and said in a brogue "Hey, aren't you from Rockaway?" I told him I spent every summer in Rockaway from the age of 2 till I got married, but that I was originally from Woodside. "Oh, yeah? Well I remember seeing you at the Kerry Hills quite a bit some years ago."

           What? The Kerry Hills? Do you know how often I went to the Kerry Hills? A few times with the Monaghans (and their various visiting cousins from Ireland), and maybe during one or two hat parties, but I wasn't what I would call a regular there. The Irish Circle? Sure. Conolly's? Guilty as charged. And when it was open, I spent as much time in the High Tides nightclub as I did at the Beach. The Blackwater was stumble distance from my bungalow, so I was there quite a bit as well. But apparently I did something at the Kerry Hills 20 years ago to leave an impression on this poor man. But that's how we hit it off. 

             Insurance usually pays for 36 sessions (3 sessions a week for 12 weeks) so after you complete your 36 sessions, you graduate (with a certificate to boot) so people come and go. I have a couple of other friends there too, besides my drinking buddy from the Kerry Hills. There's JJ, a mechanic, Mike, a retired postal worker, and Buddy (not sure what he did for a living) Anyway, with the new James Bond flick out in theaters, these guys started talking James Bond while we were working out. Now mind you, these guys are old enough to have seen Dr. No in the theaters. But damned if they all hadn't seen every single Bond movie. I'm not just talking about the 24 or so that made it in the theaters, apparently back in the 50's there was an hour long version of Casino Royale that was on a CBS anthology series called "Climax!" .  These guys even knew about that!

         So JJ decided that cardiac rehab needed to take a field trip to go see Spectre. I thought he was kidding. He was not. So......


MOVIE REVIEW*****MOVIE REVIEW*****MOVIE REVIEW*****MOVIE REVIEW*****

Movie: Spectre
Starring; Daniel Craig, Christoph Waltz, Lea Seydoux 
Saw it At: Merrick Cinema's
Saw it with: My homies from Cardiac Rehab.

     So a quick explanation on how this works for those new to Weekly Mail: I rate three things mainly. Restaurants, Movies, and in certain restaurants their chocolate cake. (I obviously won't be doing that as much in light of recent circumstances) Movies I rate with Aces, in honor of Weekly Mail co-editor Karl "the Ace" Ludwig, who can recite movie dialogue verbatim better than anybody I know. Restaurants get rated with Patties, in honor of Patti-Ann Fitzsimmons, because she organized most of our group dinners in the late 90's and early aughts, And I rate chocolate cake with Razors, in honor of "Razor" Ray McGarvey, because well, he's a bigger chocoholic than I am. (almost) 

But I digress...Back to Spectre.... James Bond (Craig) is suspended by M (Ralph Fiennes) for insubordination after he causes some trouble in Mexico City. Unbeknownst to all, Bond has a videotape from the former M (Dame Judi Dench) telling him to go to Rome. While in Rome he discovers the existence of a criminal enterprise called SPECTRE. He also finds out the key to infiltrating SPECTRE is hooking up with the daughter of an old adversary, Madeline Swann (Seydoux)  Together, Bond and Swann head to the ass end of Tangier to confront SPECTRE's leader (Waltz). 

         I'm trying to explain the plot while not giving too much away, but I do have some advice for anyone so inclined to go see Spectre. Make sure you see all the other Daniel Craig "Bond" movies (Casino Royale, Quantum of Solace, and Skyfall) before you see Spectre, because apparently they are all connected. I was never a huge 007 guy, though I have enjoyed the ones I have seen, I hadn't seen any of Craig's portrayals, but I have to say he is quite good.  I won't say he's as good as Sean Connery, because I've noticed that many people who are Bond aficionados go absolutely bat$h-t when you suggest anybody besides Sean Connery as the ultimate Bond. (IMHO- all of the guys who have played Bond were very good, with the exception of Timothy Dalton, who was awful) 



       All in all, it was an enjoyable movie. I'm not sure if I just enjoyed getting out da house on a Tuesday night, or if the movie was that good. I told Mike that this was the first adult movie I had seen in a theater in a long time. I had to replay that line in my head a few times to figure out why Mike was looking at me like I was some sort of pervert. 

3 Aces. 

Friday night it was back to the theater for a film more like the ones I've been going to the past 7 years. 

MOVIE REVIEW*****MOVIE REVIEW*****MOVIE REVIEW*****MOVIE REVIEW*****


Movie: The Peanuts Movie 
Starring; Charlie Brown, Linus and Lucy Van Pelt, Snoopy and Kristen Chenoweth 
Saw it At: Grand Avenue Theater (Baldwin)
Saw it with: Tara, Timmy and Timmy's friend Ethan. 

           I was explaining to one of my millennial co-workers why guys my age love the Peanuts. When we were kids, we didn't have 24 hour access to cartoons. We had Ch 5 and 11 for a couple of hours after school, Sesame Street at 4 PM and that was it. When there was a Peanuts special on, be it The Great Pumpkin, A Charlie Brown Christmas/Thanksgiving/Easter/Flag Day.., it was a big deal. If you had a particularly cool teacher, she would lighten the homework load so  we could all tune in. 

          It's those nice memories that had me looking forward to seeing the old blockhead on the big screen (and in 3D nonetheless). The plot is pretty straightforward. Hard luck loser Charlie Brown goes gaga when a new kid moves into the neighborhood. (the litte red-haired girl) He spends most of the next hour and a half working up the courage to chat with his new neighbor/crush. He pays a nickel for advice from Lucy, he gets encouragement from his blanket loving pal Linus, he gets drafted to bake for a valentine's dance by Peppermint Patti-Ann (um I mean Peppermint Patti) and he does a book report on Tolstoy's War and Peace with some assistance from Marcie. 

          Does our hero win the heart of his dream girl? Well, I'm not going to give it away, but I will say this, even if all the same gags and scenes from every Charlie Brown show  you've ever seen are in this movie (and they are) it's still cool to see it in 3D. More importantly for me, Timmy and Ethan loved it, and really that's what it's all about. 

3.5 aces.   


SPORTS:

       So far I have stuck to my guns about watching less football. Last Sunday, I went to the park with Timmy and missed most of the Jets-Jaguars game ( a game in which the Jets desperately tried to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory, apparently) and then on Thursday night, I watched a couple of episodes of "The Blacklist" rather than torture myself watching Rex Ryan avenge his Jet firing. 

        I have come to the conclusion that the Jets will most likely end up with anywhere from,a 7-9 record to a 9-7 record, but you can take THIS to the bank... the games they will lose will be the games I really want them to win. Yes, wins against the Browns, Jags, Redskins, Colts and especially the Dolphins are nice, but so far they have lost to the Eagles (who they have never beaten in the regular season despite playing them every year in the preseason) the Patriots (led by lying lowlifes Bill Belichick and Tom Brady) and now the Bills, so we can all read about how Rex Ryan stuck it to his old team. They play the Giants on December 6th, so get ready to lose that one and hear about how the classy Giants have won 4 Super Bowls since the Jets last won theirs in 1969. 

        And once again, I am reminded why I really have tried to stay away from the NFL. Deadspin.com this week released police photos of the damage Greg Hardy did to his girlfriend. Cowboys owner Jerry Jones called Hardy one of the leaders of the team. Tune in on Sunday for more excitement from our heroes!!!!!!

I know we started on a sour note, so I'll end it on a positive note; In soccer today, Timmy scored 2 goals and didn't send anyone to the hospital. 

I hope you enjoyed the movie reviews. 

God Bless the victims of the terrorist attacks in Paris and their families. 

Have a Great Week! 

Weekly Mail November 8, 2015

Hey:

        Saturday morning was Timmy's second to last soccer game of the fall season, and I damn near announced my retirement from the sport at it's conclusion.

          Things started off nicely enough. Tim didn't start, but came in as goalie and made a couple of nice saves, and didn't allow a goal. (again, not as if I was keeping stats) The trouble started when we put him in as a forward, and he pushed on kid and elbowed another. The head coach took him out of the game and had a chat with him. I thought that might be the end of it.

          About halfway through the second half, the coach of the other team came over hysterically yelling that "Number 12 keeps pushing my guys" Guess who numer 12 in your program (and number one in your heart) is?  I honestly didn't see it, (and neither did my coach, he admitted later) but based on previous experience, we had no choice put to pull him out.

          And I was pissed. Pissed at Timmy for not listening, pissed at their coach for being a baby, pissed at myself for not being able to convince my own kid to listen to me, when I'm trying to get the whole team to listen to me. This week was awful, from the Mets losing, right on through my work week, it was brutal. Soccer is supposed to be my escape. Instead it was a nightmare.

         I spent most of my time between the game and this writing brooding about it. And then something struck me odd. Thinking back over my undistinguished basketball career, several of my coaches, and most of my teammates (and y'all know who you are) have convinced me that I would have been a first ballot NBA Hall of Famer, if not for the fact that I was a complete and utter pu$$y when I played. I could run, I could jump, and if I was close enough to the basket, I could shoot. But for someone as tall as I was, I couldn't get enough rebounds. Part of the problem was that I was stick thin (as is Timmy) but also, I just wasn't aggressive enough.

          So in the "irony is so ironic" department, I was a failure at sports because I was too passive, and my kid had to ride the pine because he's too rough. Maybe I have to get him into basketball. That way he can use his skills as an enforcer to get to the pros. Hey, everyone wants their kids to be Michael Jordan, someone has to be Bill Laimbeer, right?

        And then we can all party hearty when they unveil Timmy's plaque in Springfield MA, about 40 years from now.


SPORTS: Last Licks on the World Series:

            So what provoked my outburst earlier this week was some of the $h-t I was taking on FB from those who wanted me to smile and be happy because we made it to the World Series, and others who thought it was bush league that I wasn't comparing the Royals to the 1927 Yankees.

           Having had a few days to reflect, yes, it was an accomplishment to get to the World Series. Nobody (except for a very brave few) thought they would make the playoffs, much less the World Series. I'll be honest, at one point, my goal for the Mets was to win 85 games or so, give the Nationals a good chase for the NL East, and play well enough to convince ownership to go out and bring in a solid shortstop and a legitimate outfield bat, to support the pitching. That the Nationals imploded and the Mets dominated August and early September was an absolute treat.

            Beating the Dodgers in 5 games was a tremendous accomplishment, given LA's pair of aces, and it was really beginning to look like the Cubs year before the Mets turned them away in the NLCS. I kept telling myself the rest of it was gravy. And maybe it was.

            I just can't get past the fact that they lost the World Series in 5 games. For a myriad of reasons that I'm not going to go through again, that's a big deal to me.  Maybe I'm being silly, but that's going to stick in my craw. And I would feel that way if they simply just got beat by a better team.

          But in three of the four losses, they held leads in the 9th inning. In two of the losses, simple fundamental fielding would have ended the game in their favor. In another loss, a simple catch of a fly ball may have made the difference. At the very least, the Mets should have been up 3-2 going back to Kansas City for a Game 6. So please accept my apologies for not crowning the Royals (no pun intended) the team of the century just yet.

          Another thing people keep telling me is that the future is so bright, that I shouldn't worry about what happened this year, that I should chalk it up as a learning experience and a stepping stone. And theoretically speaking, that may be true.

           Except that I've seen THIS movie before as well, and the ending, well, lets just say its not usually happy. For example, I was pretty convinced in 2006 that the left side of our infield was about to overtake the left side of the Yankee infield as the best in NYC. Three years later, we finished 20 games under .500. The Yankees were marching down the Canyon of Heroes.

           As a 13 year old in 1986, I thought the Mets were going to be a dynasty. Winners of 108 regular season games and a dramatic NLCS and World Series, several of their stars were 25 or under, with a bunch of hyped up prospects in the system. Two of our biggest stars, Darryl Strawberry and Dwight Gooden, ended up in Smithers Rehab Center for cocaine and booze. But this story has a happy ending. Doc and Darryl would win again       FOR THE YANKEES IN 1996!!!!!

        I know people will tell me that I'm not a true fan, and that is simply not correct. I am a true fan. I'm also a realist. I've watched too many games, seen too many seasons, watched too much losing. I've been a die-hard Met fan since 1982. (They lost 98 games that year). These opportunities come too few and far between. It's one thing when you get beat outright, another when you hand the other team the title. All the other feel good stuff, I'm not saying it isn't true.

It's just not the whole story.

HEALTH NEWS: Killer Bacon

           A report released by the World Health Organization (who?) a couple of weeks ago stated that processed meat, such as ham, bacon and sausage are main causes of cancer, and that red meat can also cause cancer. It was said by some that red meat was as dangerous to your health as cigarettes.

C'mon man, who's buying that?

        Red meat, may not be the healthiest food to eat, but it does contain nutrients, iron and protein that the body can use.  Cigarettes, contain nothing but tar and carcinogens that pollute your lungs, clog your heart and destroy your innards. There is absolutely no health benefit whatsoever from lighting up.

      Trust me, after my recent health scare, I've been laying off the breakfast sausage (I was never a big bacon or ham guy, but man do I miss my scrambled egg and sausage sandwich) and when I do indulge in the occasional cheeseburger, I make sure it's at least 90% lean. (A Donovan's Burger will be literally a once a year treat from now on) But there is no way I'm going to believe that a cheeseburger is as deadly as a cigarette. I mean every once in a while, we have to use our noodles here, people.

BTW- As a lead in to this story, I was going to use the "pork conversation" between John Travolta and Samuel L. Jackson from Pulp Fiction, but to support the NYPD, Weekly Mail is boycotting Quentin Tarrintino and his movies.I'm lucky enough to have several NYPD officers on my Facebook page, and I hope many of you are readers of the blog. Either way, thank you always for your service. 

The Rest of you guys Have a Great Week! 

Keep em dump em poll

               At the conclusion of every NY teams season, the Daily Snooze takes a poll about whether or not the team should keep or get rid of their players. After the conclusion of the World Series, they did the Mets. Here are the results. If I agreed with them, I put it in CAPS. I also supplied my $0.02.  (naturally)


Matt Harvey KEEP 85 dump 15: Though if I had to trade one of our guns for a big bat, it would probably be him.

Ruben Tejada KEEP 67-33. All glove no hit SS became our rallying cause after getting nailed by Chase Utley. He may never be the same but at least deserves a shot.

Wilmer Flores KEEP- 81-19. Pulled a disappearing act during the WS, but how can you get rid of a guy who wanted to stay so bad, he broke down when he thought he was traded. I heard a story one time about a Met who got traded in the middle of a game, and he drove himself to the airport in full uniform, he couldn't wait to get out of here .


Yoenis Cespides DUMP 78-27 Yes he carried us from August 1 till September 15, then did squat the rest of the way. Was a liability in the WS, at the plate, in the field, and on the base paths. Some idiot is going to pay this guy over 120 million dollars. It's not going to be the Wilpons, thank God.

Bartolo Colon: dump 41-59. I love big Bart, and he did a great job. But I have a general rule about athletes who are older and fatter than me. I try to avoid them.

David Wright: KEEP 79-21: The one big contract the Mets gave out will probably come back to haunt us. But he deserves a chance to win after all the years of losing.

Daniel Murphy: DUMP 59-41: I'm torn on this one. He got us to the Series, then blew it for us. Was also here during the lean years. I'd keep him for a reasonable price, but if he wants a big payday, he can go elsewhere.

Curtis Granderson KEEP 95-5: our most consistent performer this year. He's a gamer and therefore a keeper.

Michael Conforto: KEEP 95-5: Not sure he's going to be as great as some of the big guys he's being compared to, can't wait to find out though.

Michael Cuddyer: DUMP: 85-15. The 15 percent who want to keep him are either his relatives or Yankees fans.

Travis d'Arnaud: KEEP 80-20. The knock on him is that he can't throw out any base stealers. Neither could Mike Piazza. And Imus once said that Gary Carter couldn't catch Nell Carter trying to steal. But they can all hit.

Lucas Duda KEEP 54-46: Streaky hitter who cost us Game 5 in the field. I'd trade him for a better glove and more consistent bat at first, but I wouldn't dump him outright.

Kelly Johnson: DUMP Don't have an opinion on him one way or another. Buhbye

Juan Lagares: KEEP 83-17. Would love to see more stick from him. Solid glove in the OF.

Juan Uribe: KEEP 72-28 Good clubhouse guy and bat off the bench.


Noah Syndergaard , Jacob deGrom, Steven Matz KEEP 97-3. Again the 3 percent who said dump are probably Yankee fans looking to pay them 30 million a year.

Jeryus Familia:KEEP 88-12. Waited till the WS to turn into a bum. Still I had it pointed out to me that  at least one of the blown saves were not his fault. Had a monster regular season.

Tyler Clippard: DUMP-79-21. Can't believe it was that close. This should have been Regan-Mondale landslide to get him out of town.

Jennry Mejia: DUMP 77-23. Druggie we don't need

Hansel Robles KEEP Not sure he'll amount to much. Would like to find out.

Carlos Torres DUMP 77-23 who? Exactly

World Series Wrap Up

The easy thing to do, would be just to say nothing.

          The easy thing to do, would just say that the Mets lost to the better team, which they did, and leave it at that.

          The easy thing to do, would be to congratulate the Royals on being worthy champions, which they are, and not say anything further.

           I promised I wouldn't flip out if the Mets lost. I'm going to look like a fool for opening my mouth. The easy thing to do, would be to keep quiet. To seethe silently. Or not seethe at all.

           I could say that the Mets gave it their all, tried their best, and just didn't have the stuff to compete with a far superior team. I could rationalize that it just wasn't their year, not yet their time.

But if I did that I wouldn't be honest.

         And whether you love what I write, or hate it, whether you think me a genius or a moron, whether or not you agree with me, I owe it to you the reader to be honest with what I write. It always comes from the heart.

And if I write all that I mentioned above, I wouldn't be doing that.

I saw what I saw, and this is what I saw.

1) The first pitch thrown to a Kansas City Royal was a routine fly ball that was hit to our all star center fielder. A little leaguer could have made that play. Instead, it was turned into an inside the park home run.

2) Our closer, who all year was lights out, blew a save in Game One.

3) Our second baseman, let a ball go under his glove allowing the tying run to score in Game 4.

4) Our closer who was lights out all year, blew a save in Game 4.

5) Our center fielder, who carried us through August and early September, had his hardest hit in the World Series go off his knee.

6) Our first baseman couldn't throw the ball to home plate, which would have ended the game.

7) Our closer who was awesome all year blew a save in Game 5.

        So you want to tell me that the Royals won this Series? Be my guest. From where I'm sitting, the Mets lost this Series, because they played like crap. Fundamental baseball, like catching fly balls, fielding grounders, and making good throws, all went by the wayside.

       And shit, the only real thing I asked of these Mets was that they extend the Series to 6 games. Don't make the fans, who shelled out huge sums of money to come cheer you on, have to sit there and watch the Kansas City Royals celebrate on our field, in our stadium. How could you let that happen?

        Matt Harvey pitches the game of his life. The Royals, a team we are told never strikes out, struck out 9 times against Harvey. And everybody is killing Terry Collins for having Harvey start the 9th? I say bravo to Collins, because why would you go to Jeryus Familia, who basically turned into Braden Looper in this series. I had no problem whatsoever with that move.

        And it wouldn't have mattered if the Mets had managed more than three freakin hits in the game!!! Three lousy hits? We made these Royals pitchers look like the 1970 Baltimore Orioles, for Christs sake, two of these pitchers had losing records, a couple of them had ERA's over 5. Chris Young was one of their starters. I mean, what the hell?

          Yoenis Cespides carried us for 6 weeks. Daniel Murphy, for the first two rounds of the playoffs. It was bad enough neither one of them could hit in the Series, but the errors they made was inexcusable. Both are now looking for big money contracts. Cespides I wouldn't pay 5 cents for. If some schmuck GM wants to give him a 6 year contract for over $100 million, by all means. The man's been traded three times in the past three years. Let him be someone else's headache. Adios!

           Murphy, well, I mean, I know he at least try his best, but he fell apart on the big stage. Part of me hates to see him go, but I certainly wouldn't over pay him either.

            In my previous post, I explained why I couldn't abide a 5 game series loss. But what's worse, the comparisons to the 2000 World Series are scary.  It was also a 5 game loss, where poor base running, sloppy fielding, and awful relief pitching did the Mets in. The only thing that makes this more bearable than that is that the Royals won't be getting a parade down the Canyon of Heroes.  To sum it up, I heard Mike Francessa say on my way home from work today. "I thought the 2000 World Series was the toughest 5 game series I ever saw. This one was even closer!" I wanted to pull the car over and throw up.

          Maybe I should take solace in what Francessa said. Maybe I should just be grateful that the Mets got to the World Series, as everyone keeps telling me I should. Maybe I should realize that they were dead in the water on July 30th and had no business winning the NL East, never mind the NL Pennant.

Maybe someday, I will.

       For now, all I see is a team that had a chance to at least make a Series out of this and didn't. I see a team  that forgot basic fundamental baseball. The toughest 5 game series ever? That and a MetroCard will get you on the subway.

As far as I'm concerned, the Royals were handed this victory

As far as I'm concerned, the Mets got swept.